My Best Friend's Exorcism

If you were to liquefy a stack of Tiger Beat magazines from 1988, mix in a healthy dose of John Hughes angst, and top it off with a gallon of pea soup, you’d get something very close to My Best Friend’s Exorcism. Released in 2022 as part of Amazon Prime’s push for "prestige-adjacent" horror content, the film arrived during a peak moment of 80s nostalgia—an era where every streaming service seemed to be chasing that elusive Stranger Things high. But where other films treat the 80s like a museum exhibit, this one treats it like a fever dream.

I watched this on a rainy Tuesday night while wearing mismatched socks—one with neon lightning bolts—which felt spiritually appropriate for a movie so drenched in 1988 aesthetics. Directed by Damon Thomas, the film manages to bypass the usual "elevated horror" pretentiousness of the 2020s, opting instead for a tonal cocktail that is equal parts sweet, gross, and intentionally goofy. It’s a movie that understands that for a teenage girl, a social snub at a mall is often more terrifying than a literal demon from the pits of hell.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Tapeworm

At the heart of the film are Abby (Elsie Fisher) and Gretchen (Amiah Miller). Their chemistry is the engine that keeps this thing from stalling. Elsie Fisher, who previously gave us an all-timer performance in Eighth Grade, brings that same "raw nerve" energy here. She’s the awkward outsider who clings to her beautiful best friend like a life raft. When their ill-advised skinny-dipping trip into a local "haunted" shack goes sideways, and Gretchen starts acting… well, like a homicidal mean girl, Abby is the only one who sees the supernatural rot underneath.

The film leans heavily into the metaphor of possession as a stand-in for the horrors of puberty. Gretchen’s "transformation" involves acne, body odors, and mood swings that would make a poltergeist blush. It’s a clever, albeit well-worn, trope that fits perfectly within the contemporary landscape of horror films like Raw or Smile, which use genre elements to dissect psychological trauma. However, My Best Friend’s Exorcism refuses to stay in the dark for too long. It’s a horror-comedy that actually wants you to laugh, specifically during a truly revolting sequence involving a giant, sentient tapeworm. A movie that understands female puberty is scarier than any actual demon is a movie that knows its audience.

Faith, Friendship, and Leg Warmers

The movie really hits its stride when it introduces Christian Lemon, played with hilarious, deadpan sincerity by Chris Lowell. Lemon is a "Faith and Fitness" enthusiast who leads a trio of muscular brothers (The Lemon Brothers) in a quest to punch the devil back to hell. Chris Lowell is essentially the only reason to maintain an Amazon Prime subscription, delivering a performance that parodies the very real "Satanic Panic" of the 80s without turning into a cartoon. He’s the "expert" Abby turns to when the church and the school fail her, and their "exorcism" in a suburban bedroom is a masterclass in low-stakes absurdity.

Technically, the film looks great for a streaming-first release. While it lacks the grain and grit of actual 80s celluloid, the production design by Quirk Productions leans into the "hyper-color" version of the decade. It feels clean—maybe a little too clean—but that fits the "Stepford-lite" vibe of the Southern suburbs where it’s set. The score by Ryland Blackinton also deserves a nod; it utilizes those 80s synth-pop swells without feeling like a parody of a John Carpenter track.

A Streaming-Era Exorcism

There’s a conversation to be had about how movies like this live and die in the streaming ecosystem. In an era of franchise saturation, a standalone horror-comedy based on a cult-favorite novel by Grady Hendrix feels like a breath of fresh air. However, because it bypassed a wide theatrical release, it lacks that "event" feel. It’s "content" in the best way possible—something you can throw on and genuinely enjoy, but perhaps not something that will define the cultural zeitgeist for years to come.

Interestingly, the film’s producer, Christopher Landon (the mind behind Happy Death Day and Freaky), is clearly visible in the film’s DNA. Like his other works, it balances the "Final Girl" tropes with a modern sensibility. It addresses representation and the rigid social hierarchies of the 80s through a 2022 lens, making sure that characters like Margaret (Rachel Ogechi Kanu) and Glee (Cathy Ang) feel like more than just background noise, even if the central duo takes up most of the oxygen.

Ultimately, My Best Friend’s Exorcism succeeds because it doesn’t take itself too seriously while taking its central friendship very seriously. It’s a story about the kind of platonic love that feels like the end of the world when it’s threatened. It may not be the scariest film you’ll see this year, and the third act gets a little messy with its logic, but its heart—and its gross-out effects—are in exactly the right place.

If you’re looking for a double feature, pair this with Jennifer’s Body. It shares that same DNA of "female friendship as a battlefield," though with a significantly higher percentage of hairspray and Tiffany songs. It’s a fun, gooey, 96-minute ride that proves that sometimes, the only thing that can cast out a demon is a heart-to-heart and a really good mixtape. Go ahead, give it a stream—just maybe skip the snacks during the tapeworm scene.